Translational Applications of Biophotonics in Oncology

Translational Applications of Biophotonics in Oncology

Abstract:

Dr. Ramanujam’s interests in the field of biophotonics are centered on research and technology development for applications in oncology. She is developing novel quantitative optical sensing and imaging tools for translational applications in cancer research. She has been leading a multi-disciplinary effort to translate these technologies into pre-clinical models and cancer patients in the areas of breast, head and neck and cervical cancers. Another important aspect of her work in this area is the design and development of cost-effective and portable illumination and detection strategies with applications to global health. She will talk about quantitative spectroscopy for screening, diagnostics and monitoring response to radiation therapy and spectral imaging and microscopy for tumor margin assessment.

Bio:

Prof. Ramanujam is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. Ramanujam's research interests include optical spectroscopy, optical sectioning microscopy and molecular imaging. Her research group is developing and applying these optically based tools for the non-invasive characterization of the molecular, biochemical and structural properties of human tissues with the intent of improving cancer care.

Dr. Ramanujam’s interests in the field of biophotonics are centered on research and technology development for applications to cancer. She is developing novel quantitative optical sensing and imaging tools for translational applications in cancer research. She has been leading a multi-disciplinary effort to translate these technologies into pre-clinical models and cancer patients in the areas of breast, head and neck and cervical cancers. Another important aspect of her work in this area is the design and development of cost-effective and portable illumination and detection strategies with applications to global health. In addition to her academic efforts, she has spun out a company, Zenalux to commercialize several of the technologies developed in her lab.